Improvement in brick trucks and stands



2 Sheets--Sheet 1l W. E. GARD. d Brick Trucks and Stands. v NO 158583. Patented1an.*12,1875.

2 Sheets- -Sheet 2a w. E. GARD. Brick Trucks and Stands.

Patented Jan. I2, 1875.

WMI/assai www UNITED STATE-s speciiicationview, in perspective,

PATENT (DiEIcEc p WALTER E. GARD, 0E cHIcAGo, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT I N BRICK TRUCKS AND STANDS.

Specification forming part o-t"I;ett. i-s PatiitTNml-SJSS., dated Jauary I2. 1875 application tiled A July 11, 1e74.

To all whom it may concern.- v

Beit known that I, WALTER E. GARD, of Chicago, in the county of Gookand State of Illinois, have invented an Improved- Truck and accompanying Apparatus for' Handling Bricks in Brick-Yards; and I do hereby declare that tli'efollowing i's a full and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part ot' this Figure 'i1 bein g a plan ot' the apparatus, showing its arrangement in abrick-yard; Fig. 2, av .plan of the improved handling-truck; Fien-3,

a viewot' the truckfin perspective; Fig. 4, a ot' one ot' the hack-frames loaded with bricks. l

Like letters designate corresponding parts inail ot' theigu'r'si r My invention comprises a complete system Vot` handling bricks in ,brick` yards in large numbers and with great expedition, both for taking bricks from the machiiieras fast as made thereby, and distributing them over the drying-ground, and tbrlremoving the'in therefrom, after drying, to the kilns; .and it consists in an improved handling-truck, together with an improved transterring-truek and other apparatus employed in connection therewith, ail substantially as hereinafter specified. V The whole apparatus includes a rollerway,77 A, (one or linore,) on which hack-frames B B are successively placed to receive the bricks from thefbrick-machi ne a transferring lateral track, C; a transferring-truck, D, (one or inore,) traveling on the said track; a series ot tracks, E E Euexteiiding over the yard or drying-ground in any convenient manner 5 and the main handling-truck G, (one or more,) to lit't the' hack-frames, loaded with bricks .fr w, from the transterringtruck D, convey the said hack-frames to proper positions along the said tracks, let them down thereon the ground, to be left till thebricks are sufIicieiitly dried,

and afterward to again take up the hack' frames` and convey them with the dried bricks tothe kilns. This truck also is, or may be,.v used for conveying the burnt bricks froiu the kilns to cars or other means ot' transportation.

The roller-way A, located next to the brickmachine, is provided with a set ot' transverse rollers, u a, on whichfthc haekfranies B B way. They may be dispensed with, and the roller-`way A varied inconstruction correspondingly for the hack-frames to move on; but for the apparatus represented the hackframes are preferably constructed as described.

- this apparatus. i

'The transferring-track C"sde signed' simply to form a connection .between the roller-way A and the several main tracks E E E, and has no peculiarity ot' construction. The trans ferrin'g-truck `D, Which travels laterally on the track C, is provided with liauged wheels f j' for rolling thereon, and has a set of parallel crosslrollers, g g, similar in construction and use to the rollers a a ot' the roller-way A. These rollers corresponding in height with the rollers a a, when the transferring-truck is brought opposite-to the roller-way, as soon as a hack-frame is tilled with bricks, it is .pushed along over the roller-way and upon the transferring-truck, and there rests while the truck is rolled along the track C to a position oppo- `site tothe particularinain track E over which the hack-frame forlthat time is to be conveyed. On this transferring-truck -are two short rails, h h, which are set at just the saine distance apart as the rails t' t' ot' any track-E, against which they nearly or closely abut when the transferring-truck is brought into position opposite thereto, and these rails'h h and i i may be coupled or locked together to hold them in position while makin g the transfer. f

There maybe circular grooves sunk in the rollers a a and g g at proper distances apart, or equivalent raised flanges thereon, to serve as guides for the shoes d d ot' the hackfraines,

position on the transferring-truck.

The main tracks E E E are constructed in square or oblique in the cheapest and simplest The simple` hack-planks b b can be used in,

to bring them to a-iid'hold them in the proper any ordinary manner. For chcapness of construction and economy of space, I generally use a single line ot' rails, i, between adjacent y tracks, serving for the trucks to run on for both tracks.

The handling-truck G, (shown most clearly in Fig. 3,) which is the most important part of my invention, has peculiar `features of construction and operation. It has a strong frame, the cross-beams kk ot which span the track, and are elevated suficiently to allow the truck to freely pass over the hack-frames loaded with bricks, either when they rest on a transferring-truck, D, or on one of the tracks E E E, or on the'ground. Then inside ot' its four legs, l Il l, or other suitable part of the frame, it has, respectively, four litters, m m m m, which slide up and down in grooves of the legs, and have spurs or projections an u nv extending inward, so as to catch under the ends ot two,ot` the cross-planks c c of th'e hackframes elevated on the shoes d d or other elevatingy supports; or they vmay catch under some other part of the hack-frames, suitably 'provided for the purpose. Vhen the lifters are raised in their grooves or Ways the hackframes are raised fromt-he tranferrin g-truck, or

other support, and areheld suspended thereby' within and under the legs and cross-beams of the truck, and', on lowering the litters, the hack-frames are again let down and left when ever desired, and the truck is again free to bev moved from over the same. In order to raise and lower the lifters m m m on, cords or chains o oand p p are secured to the upper en'ds thereof', two of them, o o, extending upward directly over parts or pulleys' of a windingshaft or windlass, r, mounted on one end of the truck, and the other two cords, p p, first going up over pulleys s s, and thence along to the same winding-shaft, to wind around the pull leys thereon. All ot' the winding-pulleys are of equal size, so that,y as the winding-shaft revolves, the litters are raised or lowered alike. To turn the winding-shaft, a gear-wheel, t, is

`secured to one end thereof and matches into a pinion, u, on the shaft of which is a crank or handle, o, as shown; or any equivalent device may be employed. A pawl or detent, w, taking into the gear-wheel t, serves to hold the cords of the lifters wound up to any height desired. To enable the truck with a hackframe of bricks to be propelled easily, there is on one of the supporting-wheels jjjj of the truck, or on its shaft, a gear-wheel, y, 'into' which gears a pinion with a crank, z, whereby support the driver; or

the power may be multiplied to any extent desired. There may be a seat for the operator to occupy while driving the truck along; or the drivin g-gear may beA extended to the top of the truck, on which he can walk upon the ground.

Thetransferringtruck D and handling-truck G are made to correspond in construction, so that the latter can be run upon the rails h h ot' the former over any hack-frame of bricks thereon, take up the said hack-frame, and convey itto a position for drying the bricks over any one of the tracks E E E.

The apparatus, as above described, contempla-tes the employment of a transferring railtrack, U, and main tracks E E E, and iianged wheels on the transferring and handling'trucks D G, to run on the rails ot' the said tracks. But these are not essential, though desirablev in brick-yards which are not smooth and well leveled. On hard and smooth brick-yards the tracks may be dispensed with, and, instead ot' flanged Wheels on the trucks, wheels with plain, broad treads may be employed.

XVhat I'claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A truck, G, for handling bricks, in coml bination with the hack-frames, combined to operate substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. Atruck, G, forhandling bricks, provided with elevating and lowering lifters m. m m m, combined to operate substantially as and for the .purpose specitied. f

The combination of the sliding litters m m m m, cords or chains o oand p p, windingshat't Ar', and pulleys s s, substantiallyas and for the purpose specitied.

4. A hack-frame, B, provided with elevating-timbers d d, combined substantially as and for the purpose specitied.

5. Atransterring-truck, D, in combination wit-l1 rollers g g and ways h h, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. A brick-handling apparatus, composed essentially of a roller-way, A, hack-frames B B, and handling-truck G combined, operating together substantially as herein specified.

Specification signed by me this 7th day of July, 1874.

W'AITER E. GARD.

Witnesses W. D. STURTEVANT, PLUMER IIAWoR'rH.

may be a platform to 

